Armed police escort clears the way for public Buddhist procession in Gansu

A group of Buddhist monks and worshipers were seen performing an important ceremony yesterday morning in Pingliang city, Gansu province, so important that the procession was led through the city streets by an armed escort.The ceremony was performed to carry four Buddhist relics or Sarira to Dayun Temple in Jingchuan county. Zeng Qin, an eminent local master, told reporters that Jingchuan county has unearthed more than 2,000 Sarira in the last 50 years, which make the county one of the most important Buddhist sites in China.These latest spiritual treasures were apparently so valuable that they needed the extra security provided by dozens of police officers in shades.By Lucy Liu[Images via Tencent]